The black Mississippi high school football player who had a noose placed around his neck by a former teammate is handling the situation well, his coach said Wednesday.
Stone High School Coach John Feaster told CNN affiliate WLOX that the player, who has not been identified, is practicing with the team every day.
“He’s a good young man. He handled it as good as any kid could handle it,” Feaster told the Biloxi-based station.
Feaster said he and his coaches are focusing their attention on the player, who reportedly had a noose put around his neck earlier this month at the school football field house.
“Our major concern is the kid that it happened to and that’s been everybody’s major concern,” Feaster told WLOX. “All we’re worried about is him right now. We’re not worried about the game (on Friday) or the season.”
The station reported a teammate responsible for the noose had been kicked off the team, something Feaster told ESPN on Tuesday.
“The individual that was responsible hasn’t been with our team since the incident,” he told ESPN. “I reported it to the administration and handled it as swiftly as I could.”
Members of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP claimed Tuesday that more than one member of the football team was involved.
Their allegations that white students threw a noose around a black student’s neck and “pulled the noose tight” have rocked the southern Mississippi town of Wiggins.
The NAACP wants a federal investigation, saying the students in the alleged attack haven’t been expelled, school officials didn’t report it to law enforcement nor have they told the victim’s parents what kind of disciplinary action would be taken.
“They failed to protect this student throughout this ordeal,” the organization said in a statement. “Allowing students to commit blatant hate crimes without severe consequences, sends a message to students that their safety and well being are not valuable enough to be protected.”
School officials pushed back against the claims, with Stone County School District Superintendent Inita Owen saying in a statement that the district “takes all matters involving students very seriously and will do everything within its power to make sure that all policies and procedures were adhered to and that all of its students have a safe place to receive an education.”
CNN called Principal Adam Stone for comment and was told by someone at the high school no one there could talk about the situation. CNN was referred to the school district office, but didn’t get an immediate response.
Racial tensions
NAACP state President Derrick Johnson called the racial climate in Wiggins tense.
“There is a level of fear and intimidation in this county,” he told CNN affiliate WXXV. “It’s a very small African-American community, a very close-knit community. As a result of that, people are very cautious around calling attention to racial incidents.”
Some residents agreed with the NAACP that federal authorities needed to get involved.
“The FBI needs to come down here and investigate this school system because this stuff has been swept under the rug for years,” Ora Jackson, who is black, told WXXV.
Others say the school district punishes black students more harshly than white students. Kimberly Elzy said her son, who is black, was kicked out of class for having the word “blood” written on his shoes.
“I mean, I can look past black and white, you know,” she said. “Just, everybody deserves a fair opportunity.”